As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 42:1,2 (ASV).
And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Jer. 29:13 (ASV).
And without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing unto him; For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.
Heb 11:6 (ASV).
Our portion, our great reward, the one thing needful is God himself. everything thing else pales in comparison. The greatest thing that anyone can experience is to be swallowed up by God, to take hold of what He took hold of us for (Phil. 3:12). In this passage of scripture we see the Apostle Paul in his pursuit of God. He counted all things loss for the sake of knowing Christ. His life was consumed by one thing and one thing only pressing on to the goal, following the call of God. His whole life consisted in this one thing. All he suffered, all he accomplished, all of his plans and purposes, all fit into his one great pursuit.
To be driven in such a manner requires a strong desire, a hunger and thirst after the object of our pursuit. God has revealed Himself to each one of us, He has set eternity in our hearts (Eccl. 3:12), as the text in Psalm 42 goes on to say, deep calls unto deep, He is calling. Without His call, without the drawing of the Holy Spirit, we would not seek after Him. We are too selfish in and of ourselves. In our pursuit to find happiness, we look to the world, but never to God. Sin has blinded our eyes, and if not for the grace and mercy of God, we would remain in a blind pursuit of what can never satisfy. As the Spirit brings us to the cross of Christ, we enter into this pursuit of knowing Him, A spiritual hunger being awakened in us once again. Just as a body needs food to thrive, and live, the spirit needs God to thrive and live. A body that does not hunger does not eat, and will eventually die. In the same way a soul that does not hunger for God, will soon cease to live as well.
We must, like Paul, press forward, there can be no standing still as the call goes forth. We must keep our eyes upon Christ. To get them off Him is to place them on the things of the world. Worldly things, like junk food, only diminish our appetites. Our pursuit of God must be all consuming. We must seek Him with all of our heart if we would find Him. We pursue hobbies, sports, jobs, careers, etc. with reckless abandon, yet spend very little time seeking God. Sadly, often when we say we seek Him, it is not Him we seek, but something we want Him to do for us. There is a huge difference between seeking the face of God, and seeking His hand. What God is calling out is "Seek Me! Don't seek things, seek Me!"
We do not need to fear that by seeking God we will find ourselves neglected, that somehow our needs will not be met, that we won't be able to bring our requests before God. We will find that He will meet our needs as we pursue Him (Matt. 6:33), and like Paul we will find that our needs, wants and prayers will change as we count all things loss for the sake of knowing Him. And even if we had nothing at all we still have our portion, God himself.
To earnestly contend for the faith, that was once for all entrusted to the saints, to promote the full gospel of Jesus Christ, who gave Himself to deliver us from this wicked generation.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
True greatness.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matt 5:5(NIV).
The world has never seen meekness as a desirable characteristic. The meek have been seen as cowards, geeks, losers. The Bible portrays meekness in a different light however. Jesus said he was gentle and humble in heart (Matt 11:29). Moses was said to be humble, It is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:23).
The idea behind meekness is one of gentleness. It involves humility, not a self abasing humility, but a humility that sees outward rather than looking in at oneself. At the very core is submission, not a doormat mentality, but a submission born of love. The Bible speaks of two types of submission. There is submission to God ( James 4:4-10), and submission to one another (1 Peter 5:5).
First of all we must submit to God as our rightfull soveriegn. We must give Him our all and live to please Him. Without submitting first to Him we will never submit to others. Submitting to others is to put others first. It is to see the needs of others and do what we can to help them. (Phil.2:3,4). It is to bear one anothers burdens (Gal. 6:2). It is to forgive, to turn the other cheek. This can be most difficult, to set aside our anger and desire for revenge, to let it all go and forgive! Christ is our great example of this kind of submission (1Peter 2:21-24). To sum it all up, this is fulfilled by us as we love the Lord with all our hearts, and love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40). It is realized by treating others as we would be treated (Matt. 7:12). It is only done by us as it is created within us by the living Christ, dwelling in our hearts by faith.
The world has never seen meekness as a desirable characteristic. The meek have been seen as cowards, geeks, losers. The Bible portrays meekness in a different light however. Jesus said he was gentle and humble in heart (Matt 11:29). Moses was said to be humble, It is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:23).
The idea behind meekness is one of gentleness. It involves humility, not a self abasing humility, but a humility that sees outward rather than looking in at oneself. At the very core is submission, not a doormat mentality, but a submission born of love. The Bible speaks of two types of submission. There is submission to God ( James 4:4-10), and submission to one another (1 Peter 5:5).
First of all we must submit to God as our rightfull soveriegn. We must give Him our all and live to please Him. Without submitting first to Him we will never submit to others. Submitting to others is to put others first. It is to see the needs of others and do what we can to help them. (Phil.2:3,4). It is to bear one anothers burdens (Gal. 6:2). It is to forgive, to turn the other cheek. This can be most difficult, to set aside our anger and desire for revenge, to let it all go and forgive! Christ is our great example of this kind of submission (1Peter 2:21-24). To sum it all up, this is fulfilled by us as we love the Lord with all our hearts, and love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40). It is realized by treating others as we would be treated (Matt. 7:12). It is only done by us as it is created within us by the living Christ, dwelling in our hearts by faith.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Do you grieve over sin?
Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.
Psalm 119:136(NIV).
Throughout Biblical history the people of God have been characterized by sorrow, flowing out of love for their God, who is rejected by the world. When God was about to bring Judgement on Jerusalem He spared the upright. Here was how they were determined to be loyal to God- "Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the forheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it" Ezekiel 9:4 (NIV). They loved God and did not remain indifferent to all the sin that was going on around them. They wept because sin violates the Holy God, they grieved at the hurt it caused Him as well as the pain it caused those affected by it. They were burdened by the fact that one day God's judgement would come upon those who commited sin.
Jesus also wept over the hardness of men's hearts. Matt 23:37. He longed to gather His people to Himself, but they were not willing. He knew that these same people would hand Him over to be crucified. Jesus also confronted the religious leaders of the day. What many today might consider harsh or judgemental, was actually done to restore the truth of God's law, and show Him as Holy once again in the middle of a corrupt religious system.
That brings me to pose some questions. How do react to the sin we see around us? When a co worker tells a dirty joke do we nervously laugh? Do we remain indifferent to all the filth around us? What about scandals in the Church? Do we gloat over fallen leaders, or grieve?
The very root of sin is unbelief in God and His word. It plays itself out in rebellion to His authority. This rebellion and unbelief is what caused the saints of old to weep. It is what caused Christ to weep. It should cause us to weep as well. We all hurt when someone we love is hurt. In the same way we should hurt when God is hurt. Do you grieve over sin?
Psalm 119:136(NIV).
Throughout Biblical history the people of God have been characterized by sorrow, flowing out of love for their God, who is rejected by the world. When God was about to bring Judgement on Jerusalem He spared the upright. Here was how they were determined to be loyal to God- "Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the forheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it" Ezekiel 9:4 (NIV). They loved God and did not remain indifferent to all the sin that was going on around them. They wept because sin violates the Holy God, they grieved at the hurt it caused Him as well as the pain it caused those affected by it. They were burdened by the fact that one day God's judgement would come upon those who commited sin.
Jesus also wept over the hardness of men's hearts. Matt 23:37. He longed to gather His people to Himself, but they were not willing. He knew that these same people would hand Him over to be crucified. Jesus also confronted the religious leaders of the day. What many today might consider harsh or judgemental, was actually done to restore the truth of God's law, and show Him as Holy once again in the middle of a corrupt religious system.
That brings me to pose some questions. How do react to the sin we see around us? When a co worker tells a dirty joke do we nervously laugh? Do we remain indifferent to all the filth around us? What about scandals in the Church? Do we gloat over fallen leaders, or grieve?
The very root of sin is unbelief in God and His word. It plays itself out in rebellion to His authority. This rebellion and unbelief is what caused the saints of old to weep. It is what caused Christ to weep. It should cause us to weep as well. We all hurt when someone we love is hurt. In the same way we should hurt when God is hurt. Do you grieve over sin?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Godly sorrow.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matt. 5:4 (NIV).
The Bible speaks of two kinds of sorrow (2 Cor. 7:9-11). There is the sorrow of the world that leads to death. This is the sorrow that results from being caught. It flows from selfish intent. It's main desire is to escape the consequences of the wrong action. Any repentance that flows from this kind of sorrow is insincere. God desires truth (Psalm 51:6). It is like when a man offends his wife and she gives him the silent treatment. After a while he buys her some flowers, not because he is sorry he hurt her, but because he wants her to start talking to him again. His wife can see through this and it only makes it worse.
Often fear of punishment, whether from God or man will play on the emotions, and cause one to make a profession of faith. It is only superficial however and does not last (Matt. 13:5-6).
There is a Godly sorrow that does lead to repentance, and this repentance is thorough. One like David in Psalm 51 must come to the point of understanding that his sin is against God, grieves, hurts, and offends God, and then confess and forsake that sin for God's sake. We no longer want to offend Him., we no longer want to hurt Him, instead of rebellion we want to submit to His authority. This must be done for Him, not for what we can get out of it. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us ( 1John 1:9). What pleases God more than ritual, is the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17).
To be forgiven is to be brought into God's family, there is peace and safety, assurance and comfort. God has adopted us as His children, and His Spirit witnesess to us that we belong to Him. We are filled with love for Him
We can here see why Christ begins His Sermon on the Mount with these two statements. Jesus is our doorway into the kingdom, but without the knowledge of our utter sinfulness, and helplesness, and without a Godly sorrow that leads to repentance, we never truly enter in.
The Bible speaks of two kinds of sorrow (2 Cor. 7:9-11). There is the sorrow of the world that leads to death. This is the sorrow that results from being caught. It flows from selfish intent. It's main desire is to escape the consequences of the wrong action. Any repentance that flows from this kind of sorrow is insincere. God desires truth (Psalm 51:6). It is like when a man offends his wife and she gives him the silent treatment. After a while he buys her some flowers, not because he is sorry he hurt her, but because he wants her to start talking to him again. His wife can see through this and it only makes it worse.
Often fear of punishment, whether from God or man will play on the emotions, and cause one to make a profession of faith. It is only superficial however and does not last (Matt. 13:5-6).
There is a Godly sorrow that does lead to repentance, and this repentance is thorough. One like David in Psalm 51 must come to the point of understanding that his sin is against God, grieves, hurts, and offends God, and then confess and forsake that sin for God's sake. We no longer want to offend Him., we no longer want to hurt Him, instead of rebellion we want to submit to His authority. This must be done for Him, not for what we can get out of it. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us ( 1John 1:9). What pleases God more than ritual, is the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17).
To be forgiven is to be brought into God's family, there is peace and safety, assurance and comfort. God has adopted us as His children, and His Spirit witnesess to us that we belong to Him. We are filled with love for Him
We can here see why Christ begins His Sermon on the Mount with these two statements. Jesus is our doorway into the kingdom, but without the knowledge of our utter sinfulness, and helplesness, and without a Godly sorrow that leads to repentance, we never truly enter in.
Monday, October 25, 2010
The poor in spirit.
He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matt. 5:2, 3 (NASB).
What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Jesus said the kingdom of heaven belonged to them, so I believe it is very important to grasp what it means to be poor in spirit.
I think that we need to be brought to a place where we see the depth of our sin, like Paul who claimed in the seventh chapter of Romans that no good thing dwelled within his flesh. He had a willing mind to follow the law of God but found the law of sin working instead. He found evil present in his life instead of the good he wanted to do. At one time Paul thought he was doing quite well, until he discovered that coveting was wrong. From that point on He struggled in vain to overcome in his own strength. The Bible tells us that there is none righteous, all have sinned, all are dead in trespasses and sin, without God in the world, lost. As long as we think we have some good in and of ourselves, we will never truly look to Christ with eyes of faith.
We also need to fully grasp that "Apart from Christ we can do nothing." (John 15:5). Jesus sets before us the concept of a vine with branches bearing fruit. In like fashion, we must remain attached to Christ through faith if we would bear spiritual fruit. Charles Finney once said that without the Holy Spirit no one would be saved, and without the Holy spirit, a believer would be unable to follow Jesus for one minute. The popular trend today is self sufficiency. Go into a bookstore and you can find a large selection of self help books on preaching, witnessing, christian living, etc. What marked the disciples and the early church however, was the power and filling of the Holy Ghost. They understood that it was impossible to rely on their own strength, and natural abilities. Something greater was required.
We also need to let go of the material thing of this world. The rich young ruler went away sad because he had many possessions (Matt 19: 16-26). wealth and earthly posessions tend to draw our hearts away from the things of God. Two churches in Revelation, Smyrna was impoverished but rich in Christ (Rev 2:9), Laodecia was wealthy but spiritually bankrupt (Rev 3:17). Remember that all we have comes from God and belongs to God. Use it for His glory, and if it comes between you and God, get rid of it!
God has given us all that we need for life and godliness ( 2 Peter 1:3), That is what really matters!
Matt. 5:2, 3 (NASB).
What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Jesus said the kingdom of heaven belonged to them, so I believe it is very important to grasp what it means to be poor in spirit.
I think that we need to be brought to a place where we see the depth of our sin, like Paul who claimed in the seventh chapter of Romans that no good thing dwelled within his flesh. He had a willing mind to follow the law of God but found the law of sin working instead. He found evil present in his life instead of the good he wanted to do. At one time Paul thought he was doing quite well, until he discovered that coveting was wrong. From that point on He struggled in vain to overcome in his own strength. The Bible tells us that there is none righteous, all have sinned, all are dead in trespasses and sin, without God in the world, lost. As long as we think we have some good in and of ourselves, we will never truly look to Christ with eyes of faith.
We also need to fully grasp that "Apart from Christ we can do nothing." (John 15:5). Jesus sets before us the concept of a vine with branches bearing fruit. In like fashion, we must remain attached to Christ through faith if we would bear spiritual fruit. Charles Finney once said that without the Holy Spirit no one would be saved, and without the Holy spirit, a believer would be unable to follow Jesus for one minute. The popular trend today is self sufficiency. Go into a bookstore and you can find a large selection of self help books on preaching, witnessing, christian living, etc. What marked the disciples and the early church however, was the power and filling of the Holy Ghost. They understood that it was impossible to rely on their own strength, and natural abilities. Something greater was required.
We also need to let go of the material thing of this world. The rich young ruler went away sad because he had many possessions (Matt 19: 16-26). wealth and earthly posessions tend to draw our hearts away from the things of God. Two churches in Revelation, Smyrna was impoverished but rich in Christ (Rev 2:9), Laodecia was wealthy but spiritually bankrupt (Rev 3:17). Remember that all we have comes from God and belongs to God. Use it for His glory, and if it comes between you and God, get rid of it!
God has given us all that we need for life and godliness ( 2 Peter 1:3), That is what really matters!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
United with Christ.
When the light of Christ dwells fully in the heart, it extends its influence to every thought, word, and action; and directs its possessor how he is to act in all places and circumstances.
Our souls can never be truly happy till our wills be entirely subjected to, and become one with, the will of God.
Adam Clarke.
I believe this is what Jesus refers to when He calls out "If any one would come after Me, let him deny himself..." This is the losing of ones life that Christ demands of those who would be His disciples ; the life of one who has died and whose life is now hid with Christ in God. This is the Apostle Paul proclaiming " I am crucified with Christ, yet I live. Not I but Christ lives in me." Christ calls us to a place where all we do, whether we eat or drink is done for His glory. Every thought that enters our minds is taken captive to the obedience of Christ. This is a place where all is done in the name of Christ, we have no will of our own. All that interests us, all that concerns us, all that excites us, all that fills us with joy is Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Jesus said not to seek after the thing that the world seeks after. He then went on to say that these things were the basic needs that we all face in life! He said to seek first the Kingdom of god, and His righteousness, and He would take care of these things for us.
We must come to that place, by the grace of God where we are completely empty, so that His Holy Spirit can take full possession of His temple. Thus led by the Spirit our hearts will beat with His as one, so that all we desire will be Him and the promotion of His interest, not for any benefit that we can gain, but for Christ only.
This is the place of peace, an end of stress and strife, no longer chasing shadows that we can never catch. the cares and troubles of life can not reach one who rests in the secret place of the Most High, for we no longer have any earthly concerns, for we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. To be sure we will feel grief and sorrow when we see friends and neighbors sin against the Holy God who we love so, but this will only lead us to plead for them, and with them to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.
We will know what it means to pray "Thy will be done" instead of praying " Do this if it is your will." This is the place where we will pray in the Holy Spirit at all times, alert and watchful.
In the old testament only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and that only once a year. Now in this age of grace Christ has made a way for each and everyone of us to enter through Him.
He is looking for empty vessels to fill!
Our souls can never be truly happy till our wills be entirely subjected to, and become one with, the will of God.
Adam Clarke.
I believe this is what Jesus refers to when He calls out "If any one would come after Me, let him deny himself..." This is the losing of ones life that Christ demands of those who would be His disciples ; the life of one who has died and whose life is now hid with Christ in God. This is the Apostle Paul proclaiming " I am crucified with Christ, yet I live. Not I but Christ lives in me." Christ calls us to a place where all we do, whether we eat or drink is done for His glory. Every thought that enters our minds is taken captive to the obedience of Christ. This is a place where all is done in the name of Christ, we have no will of our own. All that interests us, all that concerns us, all that excites us, all that fills us with joy is Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Jesus said not to seek after the thing that the world seeks after. He then went on to say that these things were the basic needs that we all face in life! He said to seek first the Kingdom of god, and His righteousness, and He would take care of these things for us.
We must come to that place, by the grace of God where we are completely empty, so that His Holy Spirit can take full possession of His temple. Thus led by the Spirit our hearts will beat with His as one, so that all we desire will be Him and the promotion of His interest, not for any benefit that we can gain, but for Christ only.
This is the place of peace, an end of stress and strife, no longer chasing shadows that we can never catch. the cares and troubles of life can not reach one who rests in the secret place of the Most High, for we no longer have any earthly concerns, for we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. To be sure we will feel grief and sorrow when we see friends and neighbors sin against the Holy God who we love so, but this will only lead us to plead for them, and with them to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.
We will know what it means to pray "Thy will be done" instead of praying " Do this if it is your will." This is the place where we will pray in the Holy Spirit at all times, alert and watchful.
In the old testament only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and that only once a year. Now in this age of grace Christ has made a way for each and everyone of us to enter through Him.
He is looking for empty vessels to fill!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Our portion.
You are my portion, O Lord; I have promised to obey your words. I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. Psalm119:57,58. If Christ is truly our portion it will be Him who we desire above all else. It will be Him that we seek. It will be Him that we desire to please. We will be quick to willingly obey His word. We will love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. No matter what our circumstance in life is, good or bad, easy or difficult, we will rejoice in Him! As Paul said, I have learned what it is to be content. Phil. 4:12. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
To love the truth.
We are all confronted throughout our lives with the revelation of God. He is revealed in His creation, as well as in His written word. That brings us to a choice with eternal consequences. There are many who suppress the truth by their wickedness, as seen in the first chapter of Romans. They take what God has revealed about Himself and ignore it, choosing to worship a god of their own invention. A similar passage in 2nd Thessalonians shows us that to refuse to love the truth leads to God sending a delusion, letting those who do so, believe a lie and being condemned, because they did not believe the truth, but delighted in wickedness. Ch. 2:10-12. However he encouraged the believers, reminding them that God had chosen them by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, through belief in the truth. vs. 13. Take the time to read Psalm 119. The theme of this chapter is the law of God. Over and over you can see the reverance and love shown it. This love is shown by obedience. vs 97, Oh how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. vs. 143, Your commandments are my delight. vs. 165, Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. (NIV). The psalmist desired the word of God over riches. Let us truly love God and obey His word! Jesus Christ is the way truth and life!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Word of God.
Our safeguard against error is found in the written word of God. We need to judge all things by this standard. What the pastor says, what we hear from teachers, theologians, writers etc. While many people adhere to the truth, many do not. The scriptures warn us that false teachers will arise from within the church. These are people who we may know and trust. If we go to God's word and read it with a honest,open mind, willing to receive and follow what it says, God will reveal Himself to us. As it says in 1 John 4:1 " Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God" NIV. I have seen many people confused by what they hear, but there need not be such confusion. God's written word is the final authority!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Contending for the Faith.
Throughout the history of the Church, error and false teaching have been a problem. You can go all the way back into the early history of Israel and see how they were led astray from the pure worship of God. However, the truth of God's word stands strongand clear. In the book of Jude we are earged to earnestly contend for the faith thar was once for all entrusted to the saints. vs.3. It is my desire to use this spot to do just that. May God bless us as we seek His truth with the end that we know Him better.
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